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Twisted Colossus
Twisted Colossus is a hybrid roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Much like many other Six Flags roller coasters, Twisted Colossus was originally a wooden roller coaster, named Colossus, that was closed to undergo the newly-popular Iron Horse treatment. Ride history Colossus (1978-2014) Construction Six Flags Magic Mountain wanted a wooden coaster for their 1978 season for the classic "rumble and sway" movement that they felt was missing from steel coasters. The coaster's design process began in January 1977, and was finalized in May. After a member of the design team studied Mexico's Montaña Rusa, which was the largest wooden roller coaster in the world at the time, to help plan for the project. Construction officially commenced in August. During the construction, a tornado struck that caused part of the structure to collapse, but Colossus was completed on time. Colossus opened to the general public on June 29, 1978, as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, and the first to feature two drops over 100 feet. Refurbishments In 1979, the speed hill between the second drop and the double-up hill was re-profiled, and in 1987, the trains made by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company were replaced with trains from Morgan Manufacturing. In 1991, the valley between the camelback hills was leveled off and replaced with block brakes. Closure During the 2014 season, the park revealed that Colossus would permanently close on August 16, 2014. On August 4, 2014, the park held a 36-hour riding marathon. Out of the 24 participants, only six completed the 328 laps on the ride. Colossus permanently closed on August 16, 2014. Twisted Colossus (2015-) Announcement On August 28, 2014, twelve days after the closure of Colossus, Six Flags announced what each Six Flags park would be receiving for the 2015 season. Six Flags Magic Mountain then announced that Colossus would be transformed into Twisted Colossus. A promotional video was released, and shortly after, Rocky Mountain Construction began work on the ride. Construction fire On September 8, 2014, while demolishing parts of Colossus, the top of the lift hill caught fire. The park was closed during the incident, and the fire was contained quickly. No injuries were reported. Opening Twisted Colossus officially opened to the public on May 23, 2015, along with a new themed area called the Screampunk District. Ride synopsis After the train goes over several small hills, it ascends the 121-foot lift hill, often catching up to the dueling train on the adjacent green track. The train then descends 128 feet, and then goes over a small airtime hill, and then up another hill. The train then makes a left-hand turn and through a high-five element, and the train drops down and under the green track. The train then enters a zero-g roll, and then a double-up and a quick left turn before hitting a brake run and officially entering the green track. The train goes up the lift hill (again, often dueling with the adjacent track), and then enters the same process: the 128-foot drop, the airtime hill, the left-hand turn, and then the high-five. Next, the train enters a double-down, followed by a top gun stall and then goes under the blue track. The train then enters another double-up and turns left, entering the final brake run. Trivia Records Colossus (1978-2014) * Colossus was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. * Colossus was the first roller coaster with two drops exceeding 100 feet. Twisted Colossus (2015-) * Twisted Colossus is the longest hybrid coaster in the world. Statistics Colossus (1978-2014) * Colossus cost $7 million to build, and was designed by International Amusement Devices (IAD). * IAD subcontracted Bernard Brothers Construction to build the ride, Continental Consultants to build the mechanisms, and Lorenz & Williams for structural engineering and electronic systems. * During the Halloween season, the Colossus trains ran backwards and the height restriction was changed. Colossus was also accompanied by a huge black spider on one of its structures. * Colossus also ran backwards exclusively for a brief period of time in the 2014 season. * The track length is 4,325 feet, and one cycle lasted 2 minutes, 30 seconds. * Colossus was able to accompany 2,600 riders per hour, and traveled at 62mph. * Colossus utilized the trains from the park's defunct Psyclone wooden coaster. Twisted Colossus (2015-) * Twisted Colossus is 4,990 feet long, 665 feet longer than Colossus, and one cycle lasts 3 minutes, 40 seconds. * Twisted Colossus was designed by Alan Schilke, and is a Möbius Loop model. * Twisted Colossus was manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, who also supplied the trains. Photo Gallery Category:Six Flags Magic Mountain Category:2015 Category:Rollercoasters